Ulugh's Second Rule : Part 1
In the excitement of returning to power Ulugh had failed to properly think through his methods. Though the rebellions incited in Azow and Crimea had been vital to his coup they now became a double edged sword. Instead of spending his first months back in power drinking and beheading Baraq's supporters, Ulugh was forced to ride quickly against the nationalists lest they capture the cities and spread their sentiments further.
The rebels soon proved to be as easy to dispatch beneath the hooves of the Horde as the grass of the steppes over which they rode.
Ulugh was then to prove his competence, a lesser Khan may have begun feasting and grown fat on success but Ulugh denied himself the simple pleasures and focussed on more pressing matters like war.
At the time the Black sea region was a warzone with Genoa and her allies fighting the Horde and Shirvan who were simultaneously engaged in war with Georgia and Trebizond.
Ulugh elected to continue his predecessor's policy regarding the Georgian war. But in preparation for battling the Genoese he immediately sent a spy to Kerch disguised as a merchant. The spy was initially successful but then asked one too many questions and was quickly uncovered before discovering anything of real use to Ulugh.
Shirvan began to march on Kerch but shortly after entering Horde territory Trebizond led a surprise raid on the Shirvan homeland. Though small in number they moved quickly slaughtering much livestock and people. The Shirvanese army did an about turn returning home to massacre the Trebizond raiders. They then marched on Trabzon the capital of Trebizond in revenge for the brtual attack.
With the Shirvan army distracted Genoa seized the opportunity to attack Sochi in an effort to liberate the recently conquered Christians. The Horde led by Ulugh took advantage of the situation and struck for Kerch in an effort to take it whilst undefended.
Shortly after beginning the siege Ulugh received bad news from the east that made him deeply regret focussing so much on the west. It seemed the governors of his eastern most provinces had become unhappy with the lack of attention and had all defected to the Uzbeks who had welcomed them so much so they had shifted their capital to the north in order to tighten their hold upon them. For now the Uzbek treachery would go unpunished but when Ulugh was less committed to other wars....
Fuelled by anger Ulugh doubled his efforts to take Kerch and only a couple of months later in March of 1428 it fell. He then turned his anger to the Genoese troops occupying Sochi. However a well coordinated defence and a mountainous province resulted in a defeat for the Horde.
The Theodoran pigs apparently had spies in Horde territory for as soon as word of the loss reached Theordoros a declaration of war was sent to Ulugh.
The Theodorans unwisely marched their nearly 30K strong army into Crimea. The province was unable to support such a large army and the Theordorans quickly began to suffer large losses from desertions, starvation and cold.
Dealing with first things first Ulugh waited until his trroops were rallied and marched back into Sochi, with the benefit of experience now on the side of the Horde the Genoese had no chance and every last one was slaughtered.
Turning his attention to the Theorodans (who were continuing to take heavy losses for little reward in Crimea) Ulugh led 17,000 Horde cavalry men to neighbouring Donetsk ready to fall on the invadors as their numbers dwindled.
Waiting for attrition to do its thing
During this time civil unrest in Moscow had led to several people claiming the throne, one of them Vasily, offered the Horde 50 ducats for support. This was given and Vasily was set upon the throne in debt to the Horde.
In September Genoa offered peace for 52 ducats but Ulugh refused believing that if he held out more could be attained. A wise move, Genoa offered peace again in January, this time for 244 ducats, there was much rejoicing before the money was spent on more tax collectors and recruiting more cavalry.
In high spirits the Horde attacked the now equal size army in Crimea completely destroying it in hours and losing very little in the process.
Ulugh then led his brave men into Theordoran territory to besiege their capital. A couple of thousand Theodoran army men evaded the main body of Ulugh's army and captured the unfortified province of Krementjug only to be quickly obliterated by Ulugh's vanguard
The results of the rejoicing earlier in the year then became apparent when an heir to the throne was born and stability increased.
As the year 1430 rolled around Shirvan had completely conquered Trebizond but for some reason unknown to Ulugh's advisors, had not made peace either by annexation or other means. The siege in Theodoros was progressing well and likely to fall early in 1430. Ulugh rode home to spend some time with his newborn son and contemplate the situation.
Theodoros would undoubtedly fall but what to do with it afterwards remained a question in the Khan's mind. Muscowy was pacified and showing less signs of resistance than earlier. The main threat to the Horde came not from Christian infidels but Muslim brothers in Uzbek. They would have to be dealt with....